The 2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championships went down to the wire and were decided in the very last race in fabulous conditions. Joshua McKnight kept his calm, sailed nearly flawlessly and prevailed over fellow countryman Scott Babbage with two bullets in three races. Rob Gough had a very good last day and snatched third place overall from Anthony Kotoun in the last race.

Campione del Garda, 26 August 2012: If Scott Babbage capsizes at the first weather mark then words are not enough to describe the tough, demanding but equally spectacular conditions on a race course. The “Pelèr”, the morning northerly breeze on lake Garda, was blowing furiously from early on and with a violent storm forecast to hit Campione del Garda in the afternoon, the race committee had scheduled a 10am start. That gave the 60-strong Gold fleet of moths the opportunity to sail three exciting races that saw Joshua McKnight prevail, practically from start to finish.

When the race committee fired the gun for the day’s first race, the 20-25 knots of Pelèr and one-meter waves were guaranteed to put a big strain on the sailors and their boats. Both Babbage and McKnight had a clean start in the middle of the line and headed to the right-hand side of the course, as close to the eastern shore of lake Garda as possible. Babbage was in the lead at the first top mark with McKnight hot on his heels. That’s when opportunity knocked on McKnight’s door. A few hundred meters after the distance marker Babbage capsized and went for a swim. Not only did McKnight assume control of the race, he stretched his lead and won with ease, ahead of Babbage and fellow Australian Rob Gough who would start his best day in the event.

In the second race of the day, conditions weren’t as brutal but no less than 20 boats had to either abandon due to gear failure or opt for the safety of the marina. Without any doubt, the man of the race was Bob Gough whose bold tactical call paid a huge dividend and handed him the victory. On the northern race area, the eastern shore of lake Garda is usually favored. However, Gough saw a big left shift coming, separated from the bulk of the fleet and seemed like the lone ranger, approaching the first weather mark from the left. The move paid off and Gough rounded the first mark in third place, behind Mcknight and Babbage. He stuck to his strategy and overtook the leading pair while Babbage would snatch second place from McKnight right on the finish line.

As the sky cleared and temperatures rose the Pelèr abated in the third race. McKnight and Babbage were still separated by a two-point cushion and all McKnight had to do was to avoid having two boats between him and his sparring partner. Not only did he achieve it, he had a commanding lead from the start, crossing the finish line in front of Babbage. Rob Gough came in third and snatched the final podium place from Anthony Kotoun who struggled in these conditions.

Sunday’s races conclude the 2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championships that saw record-setting numbers both in terms of participating sailors (125) as well as countries (20). Conditions were on the lighter side in the beginning of the event but then lake Garda delivered and the Moths brought the “wow” factor back into sailing. The Moths will now fly again in the 2013 World Championship that will take place in the month of October on Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Quotes of the day

Joshua McKnight (AUS):“I’m pretty relieved because a lot of effort and money has been going into this program. I sailed a little bit more consistently when there was less breeze and Scott was a bit more unfortunate in one race where he got a 16th but that’s sailing. It’s really unfortunate for him. He probably put more time into this regatta than anybody else. I feel kind of bad taking it away from him but at the same time I’m happy and relieved I did it.

It wasn’t all easy today. Scott was ahead in the first mark but I had a two-point lead coming into the day so I knew I had to take a lot less risk than he did in order to win. I tried to sail safely and even if he did beat me in the second race on the finish line, I figured it was just one point. Scott and I train a lot in this type of conditions and he’s the one that usually gets away and waits for me. So, for me to win in these conditions is really surprising.”

Scott Babbage (AUS):“I’m pretty disappointed although I’m happy for Josh because he sailed very well. As I said before, we have been training together all winter and it’s good to see that training paid off. The start of the week was good, I had a very good qualifying series but I had a bad day in the final that cost me.”

Rob Goough (AUS):“The last day of the worlds was fantastic with very good breeze and good waves. I had a good day, I sailed around pretty comfortably and I could watch the battle between Josh and Scott. When I came to the worlds my goal was to make the top three. I was eighth coming this morning, so I’m pretty happy.”

The young Australian sailor overtakes Scott Babbage thanks to three excellent races. Babbage pays the price of an average start and wrong tactical call in the first race, where he finished 16th. With three more races to go on Sunday and just two points separating McKnight and Babbage, the 2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championship is still wide open! Can it be more exciting than that?

Campione del Garda, 25 August 2012: To say that Saturday’s racing at the 2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championship was a tricky one and full of surprises and upsets would be the week’s biggest understatement. The first and most decisive race of the day, turned the tables and saw some of the leaders with scores in the teens, twenties or even thirties! It is clear that consistency and committing the least amount of errors are the keys in this regatta and that’s exactly what McKnight has shown all week.

The overcast skies and lower temperatures meant that lake Garda’s afternoon wind, Ora, wouldn’t be as steady as in the previous days, especially with a start one hour earlier than Friday. The right side of the course, as close to the rocks as possible, always paid handsomely this week but this was the one and only race where it wouldn’t. The left turned out to be so favored that Brad Funk, the US sailor that saw it coming, would be ahead by a mile. When the trailing boats on the right saw it and went to the left, the breeze died and turned right. Some of the top ten sailors – Babbage, Kotoun, Salter and McDougall – got the double whammy “right when it’s left and left when it’s right”, rounding the first top mark well in the bottom of the fleet. Babbage managed to climb up to 16th but McKnight had yet another consistent race, finishing fourth.

As the breeze got fresher and steadier, the second race would be “about boat speed, without a lot of tricks”, as Anthony Kotoun stated. The sailor from the US Virgin Islands nailed his start, got off to the rocks and was able to build an immense lead at the first top mark. Bora Gulari couldn’t do anything to catch up with Kotoun and crossed the finish line in second place, ahead of Julian Salter and Joshua McKnight. It surely was a turnaround for Kotoun after scoring a 33rd in the previous race.

The day’s final race was again a demonstration of flawless sailing by Joshua McKnight. He got the start right with full pace and rounded the first weather mark in second place, trailing Julian Salter. McKnight has shown his strength upwind all week long and overtook Salter in the second beat. Once again, Anthony Kotoun kept his calm, weaved through the fleet and bagged another second place.

The 2012 Zhik Nautica Moth Worlds will come to an end tomorrow Sunday after the three final races are sailed. A violent storm is forecast over lake Garda on Saturday night that could result in a strong “Pelèr” northerly breeze on Sunday morning and an extremely light “Ora” in the afternoon. As a result, the race committee has decided to bring the start time forward to 10am.

Quotes of the day

Joshua McKnight (AUS):“I don’t know whether I’m leading, I’m not sure about the results. In any case, Scott it still the favorite to win this regatta, I’m just trying to sail well and get some solid results. My aim is to be at the top five in each race and I’ve been working hard to achieve that. At the first top mark of the first race I was probably 7th or 8th or even deeper but since it was quite choppy quite a few around me fell in the first downwind. I sailed more conservatively and finished the race in 2nd place.”

Joshua McKnight (AUS), on whether Scott Babbage should be training with him from Monday:“[Laughs] Whatever happens in this world championship we will always be equal. However, you should never forget we still have another three races to go, so we still have a long way to go.”

Scott Babbage (AUS):“In the first race I didn’t get off the start line well. Then the breeze went really light at the top mark and I was just on the layline with lots of boats. I couldn’t get around the top foiling, so I was deep in the pack, without really many opportunities to get through the fleet. So, I had a really bad one and then probably a fifth and another fifth. Joshua might have passed me in the leaderboard with his three good results.”

Scott Babbage (AUS), on whether he learned something today that will not be repeated tomorrow:“I haven’t quite figured that out yet.”

2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championships
Final Series – Top 10 results after 6 races (1 discard) and qualifying rank

Sparring partners Scott Babbage and Joshua McKnight excelled in Friday’s fabulous conditions on lake Garda. Babbage scored two bullets in the day’s three races and now leads the final series, followed by McKnight. Joe Turner’s aspirations for a world title come to an abrupt end due to an unfortunate crash at the first weather mark of the first race.

Campione del Garda, 24 August 2012: It might have taken four days for lake Garda’s famous afternoon breeze to come but it was surely worth the wait, every single moment of it. The 125 Moths took to the waters off Campione del Garda under fabulous conditions. The “Ora” kicked in on time, blew up to 15-16 knots and brought the beast of the Moths that were piercing through the short chop. The race committee was able to hold three spectacular races with the best breeze yet.

The fleet has now been split into Gold and Silver and as Scott Babbage mentioned earlier in the morning, competition has stepped up a level as he has to face twice as many top boats as in the qualifying series. However that doesn’t seem to prevent him from scoring two bullets.

The first race of the Gold fleet had three protagonists, all of them Australians. Scott Babbage and Joshua McKnight clearly dominated in conditions that are slowly approaching the ones they are used to in Sydney, even if Babbage still finds them “pretty light”. The two sparring partners were a long way in front of the fleet with McKnight leading three quarters of the way. However, Babbage was faster downwind and crossed the finish line ahead.

Joe Turner, the third Australian, stole the spotlight in that first race but, unfortunately, for the wrong reason. While going on the top reach to the distance marker he lost control of his boat and pitchpoled right in front of fellow countryman John Harris. Harris had no time or room to react and crashed into him. As a result, Turner’s boat suffered serious damage that, although repairable, puts an abrupt end to his aspirations to the world title.

Although he likes the strong breeze, Babbage did equally well, or even better, in the softening conditions of the second race. He led from the outset and extended his cushion over second-placed Anthony Kotoun to dozens of boatlengths at the second weather mark. There was nothing Kotoun could do to bridge the gap but still held on to his position, crossing the finish line ahead of Rob Gough and Joshua McKnight.

In the day’s last race Babbage and and McKnight inverted their positions with the younger Australian taking the win. It didn’t come so easy though. McKnight was in the lead at the first top mark but Babbage got him at the bottom mark. Still, McKnight was again faster upwind and overtook him.

Three more races are scheduled for both of the fleets on Saturday, starting again at 2pm local time. As the weather patterns are converging to the usual ones on lake Garda this time of the year, we could very well witness another day of champagne sailing for the Moths.

Quotes of the day

Scott Babbage (AUS):“Josh and I have been sailing a lot in Sydney this winter. He has been my training partner during the off season. I think we have done a bit too much and he now is a threat. When the wind is up a little bit we are much, much faster. The stronger it gets the faster we will be but this is still pretty light.”

Joshua McKnight (AUS):“I was leading the first race by a long way but Scott got me on the downwinds, he seems to be little quicker downwind. I had a tough one at the first race. I was eighth or ninth at the bottom mark but still managed to climb to fourth at the top mark. It was a good day overall and a good start to the finals. ”

Joe Turner (AUS), on his crash:“In the first top mark of the first race I was going across the top reach to the distance marker and I basically lost control of the boat when I was just above John Harris and put it straight in ahead of him. He basically had nowhere to go, no room or time to keep clear and ran into me. It was my fault. I was sailing too high, lost control of the boat and pitchpoled in front of him. It is unfortunate it happened, when and where it did. The regatta is basically over for me and hopefully another Australian will win it.”

2012 Zhik Nautica Moth World Championships
Final Series – Top 10 results after 3 races (1 discard) and qualifying rank